


The Education of Bartholomew "Bat" Velasquez

by Pendragon2601



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Bat is struggling, Camaraderie, Caring Maia, Eventual Romance, F/M, Family, Friendship, Hints of Maia's past, Maia is a badass, Maia is a complicated woman, Male-Female Friendship, New York Party ethic, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Simon's vampire scent, Werewolf Fights, werewolf lessons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2019-02-27
Packaged: 2019-04-18 20:08:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,370
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pendragon2601/pseuds/Pendragon2601
Summary: Bat is slowly starting to get used to living as a werewolf, but he's going to need a lot of help. Maia offers to teach him everything she knows in the form of werewolf lessons and they form an unlikely friendship. From unexpected changes in the middle of the night to navigating the inner workings of pack life Bat is hoping that he can get to grips of his new life as quickly as possible. Preferably before he gets killed.Will include canon from both the show and the book series.





	1. Lesson One: How Not to Transform in Public (Or Trash the Place in the Process)

**Author's Note:**

> This is going to be a five part series but I'm not sure how quickly I'll be able to update. I'm working on chapter two right now but I also have two or three other stories I'm working on as well and college work on top of that. Hopefully it won't be too long a wait between each chapter. 
> 
> There may be some triggering issues to do with PTSD so just warning you now. I will be getting more into that in a later chapter. Enjoy!

Maia didn’t mind her job as a barmaid at the Hunter’s Moon. Sure, the pay wasn’t the best and she was often up until the early hours of the morning nearly every shift but she didn’t mind it at all. There was the odd decent customer like Magnus or Luke who would give her an extra tip whenever they came in and more often than not, the bar was filled with a lively crowd of interesting people. Just today, she had met a Warlock whose natural hair colour was fluorescent pink, who liked reciting epic poetry and only ever drank a specific brand of mead from Norway. But there were other times when she couldn’t wait to go home and collapse on her bed.

Tonight, was unfortunately one of those nights.

“Alright, everybody out. It’s closing time! Come on, finish up your drinks and beat it.” Maia shouted as she wrung an old bronze bell on the wall above her head. “If I have to hear one more ABBA song, I am going to break that jukebox.”

A chorus of grumbles answered her as the bar slowly began to empty, hurriedly knocking back the remaining slivers of alcohol in their glasses as they went. Maia spotted one last drunken Seelie staggering his way into every table and chair in his path before half-collapsing against the doorframe of the exit. Maia let out an resigned huff before she followed him. “Come on, mister, lets get you a cab before you find yourself a gutter to lie in for the night.”

The Seelie stared blearily at her before a slow salacious smile grew on his mouth. He shifted his body upwards using the doorframe as leverage and carelessly waved his arm in a poor attempt of a flourish. “Sweet, sultry bar wench of the Hunter’s Moon,” he began, his voice starting off slow and then trailing off in a slur. “Might I be so bold as to procure a goodnight kiss from your soft lips before I begin my quest home to the realm of Faerie?”

Maia pursed her lips in an unamused way. “Oh, I don’t think so. You’re too drunk to even make it out the door let alone back to the Seelie Court. Besides, I have a boyfriend anyway and I don’t think he’d like the idea of me kissing random drunk strangers whilst I’m at work.”

“Ah, but what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” He replied as he pushed himself off the doorframe and swayed unsteadily on his feet. Maia rolled her eyes as she grabbed the faerie’s shoulders and twisted him around.

“And for that, you can call your own cab. Go on, out you go and don’t come back until you can handle your vodka better.” With a sharp shove of her hands, the Seelie stumbled out into the street and promptly fell into a lamppost. Maia firmly shut and locked the door before he had a chance to come back inside, letting out a sigh of relief as she did.

On a normal night, Maia wouldn’t be the only one left to deal with tidying up the bar for the next shift. However, after the recent victory against Valentine and his followers over two days ago, nearly every single person in the Downworld seemed to remember that they were New Yorkers and insisted on celebrating until dawn every night. It also seemed that most of her colleagues took advantage of the good cheer and had either turned up to work completely drunk or didn’t even turn up at all.

 _What I wouldn’t give to be one of them tonight,_ Maia thought as she grimaced at the sight of the messy bar, taking in the upturned chairs and stools, the dozens upon dozens of unfinished beers and cocktails and the rat’s nests of party streamers dangling off every surface that she could see. She was going to be here for _hours_ …

As she reluctantly made her way over to empty the tills of the nights takings, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stand up. She felt her body tense as she heard the faintest creak of a door close on its hinges. The tiniest whiff of a foreign scent had appeared in the air as she narrowed her eyes on the back door, the one that leads directly to the cellar where they keep the barrels of beer for the taps.

Someone was trying to rob the place.

Maia felt a low rumbling growl in her chest, her nerve endings sparking in alarm as adrenaline filled her veins. Her fingernails grew tougher and curled into claws. Her canines grew sharp and powerful. If they thought that robbing the place was going to be easy, they are certainly in for a shock…

She stalked her way to the cellar, her footsteps light and careful, listening closely to the intruder on the other side of the door. She could hear some of the barrels rolling to the floor with a crash, the tinkling smash of glass hitting cement, the click-clack of claws against tile and the long whine of an animal in distress…

She halted by the door in confusion. She sniffed the air curiously, her nose wrinkling at the strange scent. _No, it couldn’t be…_

She slowly pushed the door open and peered into the dark room. Circling around the room with its tail between its legs and its large ears pinned back against its head in fear was a huge, trembling wolf with dark brown fur. Maia couldn’t believe it. She let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding, watching the frightened wolf as it came to a stop and looked up at her with wide dark brown eyes. Maia thought that they seemed familiar.

“Bat…is that you?” she asked slowly, carefully taking her time descending down the couple of steps that led her into the cellar. The wolf let out a whimper as he began to pace around the room again, his whole body tense and agitated as he went. Maia held up her hands in a placating gesture. “Okay, just relax. Take it easy, Bat, I’m trying to help you.”

Bat the Wolf continued to pace along the edge of the far wall of the room, growling in frustration. Every so often he’d stop with a shudder that caused him to let out a painful yelp. Then with an angry snarl he continued to pace, knocking into the wall beside him or into a barrel that was in his way.

“Hey! Bat, come on. Don’t trash the place.” Maia groaned, running her hands through her hair in stress. “Seriously, Bat. I don’t want to get fired, alright? Can you please just calm down?”

Bat suddenly let out a fierce growl and snapped his teeth at her, his hackles raised and teeth bared, ready to pounce on her at any moment. Maia felt a growl rip from her chest in defence. Her skin grew tight and suffocating as she felt the beginnings of a transformation coming along, her inner wolf preparing her for a fight to the death.

She groaned in pain as she felt her legs begin to shake. “Bat, please. I don’t want to fight you. Okay, just listen to me please. I want to help you.”

Bat snapped his teeth once again. He didn’t seem to be listening to her, too overwhelmed with the urge to feed his bloodlust to give a damn about consequences. Maia knew what that was like all too well. She could feel it now, coursing through her body, urging her to tear at her skin with her claws and then sink her claws in to his along with her teeth. It was no use. She knew it had to be done to get him to back down, to get him to properly recognise her and listen.

She surrendered to the wolf, letting her instincts take over as her body was plunged into the agony of transformation. Even though she has been a werewolf for a couple of years now, every single transformation she had was brutally painful. She could feel every bone snapping and rearranging itself under her skin, which was then ripped off by her claws and her teeth and replaced by a fur coat. She couldn’t remember how she ended up on her hands and knees, or even when her hands and feet had turned into paws, but she let out a howl of anger as her eyes landed on Bat.

Bat suddenly launched himself onto her back and sunk his teeth into the ruff of her neck, his claws scratching against her ribs as he pushed her to the ground. Maia scrambled on the ground in a split second of panic, trying to shake him off as memories of _him_ slowly creeped into the forefront of her mind. She started to remember the rain on her skin, her smile wide on her face as she walked home without a care in the world. She remembered the exact moment when it was all ripped away as she was knocked to the ground and his claws slashed at her throat. She had been so scared that she was going to die, terrified that she would never get to do all the things she wanted to do with her life. She vowed never to be scared again.

She bucked under Bat with a snarl and managed to dislodge him enough to swipe her claws against his belly. He howled in pain and bared his teeth at her. Maia growled as she rose to her feet, dashing back to put enough distance between them. She settled into a low stance, her claws scratching the ground in anticipation as she watched him get to his feet with a snarl.

The rest of the world fell away as they each watched their opponent, waiting for the next opportune moment to strike and kill the other. It didn’t seem to matter that they were in the same pack. Right now, they were just beasts. Wild, bloodthirsty, ruthless beasts with their prey in their sights and nothing was going to stop them from sinking their teeth into the carcasses of their remains.

A moment of stillness befell the room before they suddenly rose up and clashed against each other, scratching and ripping and tearing and biting with every ounce of fury in their bones. Although Bat was much larger than Maia, she was quick and calculated as she gripped his throat in her teeth and pushed him on to his back, her claws digging in firmly into his soft belly. She tightened her jaw around his jugular, threatening to clamp it all the way shut, when she heard a loud high-pitched whimper and Bat stilled.

She let go and looked down at him as he whimpered, his whole body trembling and looking up at her with wide dark brown eyes. She huffed and backed away, feeling her body draining of adrenaline and rage before the familiar pain of transformation pulled her back to human.

She fell to the ground in exhaustion, the concrete cooling her feverish skin. She glanced over at Bat as he shuddered back into his human body, his fur fading back into pale sweat-slicked skin. Maia could only see the fading scratches and bite marks on the bare, naked skin of his spine as he curled onto his side in a tight trembling ball.

Bat suddenly let out a small keening sob, the kind that desperately wanted help but probably didn’t mean to come out. Maia shakily crawled over to one of the lost property boxes and pulled out two large woollen blankets, gently draping one over Bat and the other around herself. Then she shuffled close to him, the warmth of his body seeping comfortingly into the skin of her hip and vice versa. She watched as the shudders wracking through his body slowly began to disappear.

She sat next to him quietly, pulling the blanket tighter around herself before glancing over at him carefully. “Are you okay?” Maia asked slowly, her voice hoarse and barely above a whisper.

Bat sniffed heavily, wiping a hand under his nose before he shakily sat up, tugging the blanket further around himself so that he was more modestly covered. “I’m really sorry about all that. I-I was scared and I didn’t know where I was or how I got here and I couldn’t change back and-”

“Hey, it’s alright. We’ve all been there.” She said gently, slowly reaching out to touch his shoulder comfortingly.

“It’s not alright. I could have hurt you and that’s not alright. I knew you were trying to help me but I just couldn’t control myself.” Bat replied, his voice full of emotion as he looked over at Maia with shame and tears welling in his eyes. “I am so very sorry, Maia. I swear I won’t ever do something like that again. I swear on my life.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t make a promise that you might have to break.” Maia said firmly. Bat frowned. She let out a sigh. “Look, if any other werewolf from another pack came through that door instead of me, it could mean the difference between saving yourself or becoming their next chew toy. This way of life isn’t the same as being a Mundane. They’ve got it easy. For us, it’s about survival.”

“But you’re not from another pack. I shouldn’t have hurt you.” Bat said stubbornly with a shake of his head.

“You didn’t hurt me.” She lied, pushing back the memories to where they were originally hiding in her mind, where they belonged out of sight. “Besides, how else are you going to learn? The odd nip here and there is going to help keep you in check in the long run.”

Bat glanced up at her out of the corner of his eyes. “You call all that ‘the odd nip’?”

Maia felt her mouth twitch into a half smile. “You’ve got a lot to learn, Bat. I forget sometimes how new you are to all of this.”

Bat suddenly fell quiet as he looked away, tightening his blanket around him until Maia could see the faint outline of his spine in the top of his back through the material. “I thought I was finally getting the hang of it. This time last week, I didn’t even know things like werewolves even existed let alone lived in New York of all places.”

“Not just werewolves and not just New York either. The Downworld spans across every country on the planet as far as I know. Every city, every village…absolutely everywhere.” Maia wondered how many Downworlders there might be at her old home of New Jersey for a moment, before she forcibly pulled herself out of her thoughts. “But you’ll get it eventually. It just takes time.”

“I never wanted this. I was just a normal guy trying to make something of myself. But then Russell had to go and…” Bat clenched his hands into fists, breathing deeply as he tried to calm himself. “Look, I know Russell is part of the pack now but sometimes I just…I can’t stand the sight of him. Every time he comes near me, I can’t stop thinking about that night and about what he did to me. It won’t get out of my head...”

“I know.” Maia nodded in agreement. She knew full well that Russell was a jackass. She couldn’t even remember how many times she’s had to tell him off for being a moron, especially now that she’s dating Simon. She hesitantly leaned against his side and laid her head gently on his shoulder in comfort, not just for him but for herself too.

They sat in companionable silence, listening to each other’s hearts beat out a slow rhythm. Maia turned her head towards him and discreetly inhaled, taking in his scent and memorising every detail of it so that she could properly recognise him in the future. She knew she didn’t want a repeat of tonight, especially if next time she might not be able to hold back her urge to kill. She could feel his cheek lightly touch against the top of her head as he inhaled too, taking in the scent of her hair and her skin. She looked up at Bat curiously to find him staring at her quietly. His eyes seemed so sad. It was the kind of sad that was familiar to Maia, the kind that knew you were in an impossible situation and there wasn’t a clear way out. She suddenly cleared her throat and looked away.

“Is something the matter, Bat?” Maia asked as she pulled away.

Bat let out a tired sigh and tipped his head back to rest against one of the overturned barrels they were leaning against. “Nothing really.” he said with a sad shrug of his shoulders.

“Sure, there isn’t. You know I can smell there’s something wrong with you, right?”

Bat looked at her in surprise. “I didn’t know we can do that.”

“Hasn’t Russell taught you anything? I thought that was the whole point of you staying at his place.”

Bat shrugged his shoulders. “He’s taught me to always listen to Luke. I think his pride’s been hurt a little since he was welcomed back to the pack.”

“Typical.” Maia sighed.

“Tell me about it.” Bat replied as a ghost of a half-smile appeared on his face. “Being a werewolf _sucks_.”

Maia let out a small chuckle, a smile slowly lighting up her face which caused Bat to grin. “I can’t fault you there. There aren’t very many upsides to being a Downworlder. You’re in pain all the time, you have major anger management issues, you have stuck-up Shadowhunters to deal with every day-”

“ _And_ I keep waking up in strange places, completely naked and with no spare clothes, with no clue of how I even got there. It’s like being drunk but without the booze and you _still_ get the hangover.” Bat nodded in agreement before he suddenly went quiet. Maia could see the blood drain from his face as he stared at her in embarrassment. “I’ve just realised that this is the second time I’ve been naked in front of you. It’s not funny!” He added when Maia let out a snort of laughter which shook her whole body.

“It is a little bit.” She teased lightly bumping her shoulder into his. Bat started to laugh along with her, his face growing pinker by the minute. “Relax, like you said, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

“Oh great, that makes me feel loads better.” Bat rolled his eyes and shifted his blanket a bit further around his shoulders. Maia patted his shoulder with one of her hands before she stood up and started rummaging in the lost property box.

“I’ll find us some clothes to wear and then you can help me tidy up this place.” Maia said as she pulled out a pair of jogging bottoms that looked fairly clean and then pulled out a bright orange Hawaiian shirt with red and green palm trees patterned all over it. Maia grimaced. “These will have to do. Here, try these on. They should be near enough your size.”

Maia chucked the hideous clothes at Bat who clumsily caught them in one hand, his blanket slipping suddenly down his arm before hurriedly hitching it back up. Maia turned her back to him to give him some privacy and continued to look for something to wear.

“Have you ever done this before? You know, unexpectedly changed somewhere public. You seem like you’ve done this before.” Bat asked conversationally over his shoulder as he hurriedly shimmied into the joggers, his blanket lying on the ground around his feet.

“It comes with practise. The first couple of times I changed, it was awful.” Maia replied, hurriedly slipping on a light pink sweater that was almost twice her size. The wool felt soft and warm against her skin but smelled of old mothballs. “It helps to put a bunch of spare clothes in good hiding places around the city, usually someplace that you’re familiar with but not overly so just in case you have the urge to go and rip something apart. Usually I’m pretty good with controlling when I change but ever since this Valentine business started up, I’ve had to hide at least six different outfits all over Brooklyn and Manhattan just in case I wolf out.”

“Was he that crazy angel guy who wanted to kill everyone?” Bat frowned as he fastened the last button on his shirt and turned around. “No one actually told me what was going on except that we were all probably going to die.”

“Trust me, you don’t want to know. I’m glad that psycho’s dead. And his son, too.” Maia held up a short mini skirt with a sigh before she looked over at Bat. She raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you mind? Still trying to get dressed here.”

Bat flushed and turned away, clapping a hand over his eyes for good measure. “Sorry, I thought you were done.”

Maia rolled her eyes before dropping her blanket and stepping into the skirt. As she tugged the skirt over her hips, she let out a huff. “Jeez, this is way too tight. Ow!” Maia looked down at herself with a resigned sigh. “I guess it’ll have to do. You can turn around now.”

Bat slowly turned around and stared at Maia with a surprised look on his face. Maia gave him a look. “I know I probably look ridiculous, but you don’t need to look at me like that.”

Bat shook his head hastily. “You don’t look ridiculous, trust me.”

Maia scoffed at him with a humorous glint in her eye. “In that shirt? Not a chance. You look like a creepy pervert.”

“Th-That’s not my fault.” Bat stuttered as he glanced self consciously down at himself. “You picked out the clothes.”

Maia walked over and patted his shoulder with a laugh. “I know, I’m sorry. Come on, I’ll get you a drink as an apology.”

Maia led Bat out of the cellar and into the bar. Bat let out a low whistle at the sight of the messy bar. “And I thought downstairs was bad…”

“Yeah, and this was just from the Mundanes earlier this evening.” Maia said as she started gathering glasses and returning them to the bar. Bat followed behind her and started righting overturned tables and chairs.

They worked quite well as a team, tidying the bar together in just under an hour and a half. Maia spent most of that time watching Bat silently wiping down table tops out of the corner of her eye. She thought he seemed like a good worker, like working in a bar suited him well.

“So what happened tonight that caused you to end up here?” Maia asked conversationally from behind the bar as she took note of the leftover stock she had left from the night’s partying.

“I…” Bat began to say before his mouth clamped shut. Maia paused in her task as she watched Bat staring pensively at the surface of the table he had just righted. His fingers were quietly tapping out a rhythm on the varnished wood that almost seemed like a nervous tick. After a moment of silence, Bat glanced over at her hesitantly. “If I tell you why, it’ll just stay between us, right?”

“Of course. You can trust me.” Maia nodded as she placed the clipboard in her hand on the bar, turning her full attention on him.

He inhaled a long deep breath before he turned towards her, his eyes looking everywhere but at her. “I had a nightmare about when I was attacked. Well, actually it was more like a panic attack or something. I don’t know.” Bat sighed. He headed over to the bar and pulled himself on to a stool, his eyes focussing on his clasped hands in front of him. “It felt like I was back there again, like I was physically there being scratched. I could feel his claws ripping at my chest again…”

“Oh Bat…”

“I managed to get myself out of the nightmare but then I could smell Russell from the next room and I just had to get away from that scent.” Bat shook his head. “I ended up shifting and blacked out before I saw you down in the cellar. I don’t even know how I got here. I’ve never felt so out of control before. Oh god, what if I hurt someone?”

“Don’t start thinking like that. You’ll drive yourself crazy.” Maia reached over and clasped his hands in her own gently. They were warm and slightly rough with calluses. Maia made a note to herself to ask him what kind of job he used to have to cause his skin to get so tough later.

“I could have killed someone and I wouldn’t have even known. I don’t want to hurt anyone, Maia.” Bat’s voice trembled as he tightened his shaking hands in hers.

“The pack’s not going to let you hurt anyone, Bat, I promise. We all look out for each other.” Maia said. A sudden idea popped into her head and she smiled. “What if I teach you how to get control of your wolf?”

“What like werewolf lessons? Lycanthrope one-oh-one?” Bat chuckled lightly as he stared up at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Maia shrugged her shoulders as she let go of his hands and turned to grab one of the half empty liquor bottles from one of the shelves behind her. “I could do with an extra pair of hands around this place when there’s only me left to lock up. You can keep me company and I’ll teach you everything I know about being a werewolf.”

“Won’t your boss mind?”

“Mick won’t mind as long as you don’t help yourself to the stock too much.” Maia replied as she poured the liquor into two shot glasses, sliding one across the surface to Bat and picking one up herself. “I can even ask him to give you a trial if you need a job. What’d you say?”

Bat looked at her quietly in thought, his fingers drumming slowly on the counter. A moment later he gave her a small smile and picked up the shot glass, raising it up to clink the side of her own. “Sure, why not? It’ll be fun.”

Maia grinned as she tipped her shot back, swallowing the alcohol back in one. Bat grimaced as the alcohol slipped down his throat but gave Maia a matching grin.

“Right then, time to go home I think.” Maia said cheerfully as she put the liquor bottle away and slid the shot glasses into a nearby sink. She picked up her keys and led Bat out of the bar, locking the doors firmly shut behind him. She turned to him one last time as a cold breeze tickled against her bare legs. “Are you going to walk me home?”

“Yeah, okay.” Bat nodded and awkwardly held out his arm for her to take. Maia chuckled as she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow. Bat smiled at her quietly, a flash of white teeth and rosy cheeks, as he led her down the street towards home.


	2. Lesson Two: How Not to Pick a Fight with Every Wolf in the Pack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bat's first werewolf lesson with Maia is starting at the Hunter's Moon, but Bat isn't sure whether this plan of theirs is going to work. Especially when he recieves a visit from Russell which almost makes him Turn in public.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone,
> 
> So extremely sorry that I've taken so long to update this fic. Things have been a little chaotic with University and work which has been taking up the majority of my time. I'm hoping I can sort out a better balance of work, Uni, social life and writing soon. I promise that I'm not going to abandon this fic. It's all pretty much planned out and I've already started the next chapter. I also have a few other ideas in mind for other oneshots to do with the books and the show as well as a crossover with Supernatural coming up but those are still regrettably in the planning stages at the moment. I can't promise that the next update will be any time soon but I appreciate you sticking with this for so long. 
> 
> There is a moment in this chapter where Bat has a panic attack, which I also suffer from so I've just tried to write a version of what a panic attack feels like to me. I can't say if it's at all accurate for everyone but sorry if it is. Also, i’ve come to realise that the title for this chapter is a bit of a misnomer but I couldn’t think of anything that would describe the chapter well. Oh well. 
> 
> Thanks again for sticking with this story and I hope you like this installment. The title for the next chapter is Lesson Three: How Not to Get Shot by Trigger-Happy Mundanes. This next chapter will also involve some elements from book canon thrown in and will feature our favourite Shadowhunter and Warlock duo, so there's that to look forward to. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Bat stared up at the aged wooden sign of the Hunter’s Moon and felt his stomach clench nervously. Before he could convince himself to change his mind he slipped his cell out of his back pocket and checked his messages again, scrolling up to his most recent message from Maia.

_Hunter’s Moon. 4pm. Don’t be late._

Bat didn’t know exactly what to expect from his first werewolf lesson with Maia but ever since he’d received her message this morning, his mind had been reeling with endless worrying possibilities. The ambiguousness of her message didn’t help much either. What exactly are they going to do? Was she going to just sit him down and answer the seriously long list of questions that he had on the back of a receipt in his jacket pocket? Or worse, did she expect him to fight her again like the other night? Bat wasn’t so keen on that. Especially considering his body still ached with the memory of her kicking his ass to hell and back. Bat could still remember the faint glimpses of her sharp claws and teeth as they fought as wolves and if he was being completely honest with himself, it scared the crap out of him. He had never felt so out of control before. He had never felt such _anger_ coursing through his veins like liquid fire. Bat never wanted to feel like that again.

Which is why with a deep breath, Bat slipped his cell back into his jeans and pushed open the door to the bar. If there was anyone who could help Bat get control of his wolf and his life again, it was Maia.

The first thing that Bat noticed when he let the door close behind him was the overwhelming stench of death that hit him like a sucker-punch to the face. He nearly gagged at the scent as he desperately searched the bar for the source, only for the hair on the back of his neck to stand up in alert as his gaze fell upon the cheery vampire sat on a stool at the bar, laughing at a joke Maia had told just minutes before. Bat recognised him in an instant from the morning after he was Turned. Simon Lewis, otherwise known as Maia’s boyfriend. Or as Russell so affectionately calls him “that no good, undead, pain-in-the-ass _leech_ ” who kept stinking up the boathouse at the Jade Wolf. Bat headed over to join them, slightly holding his breath in a bid to escape Simon’s scent.

Maia glanced at him with a smile, her warm brown eyes lighting up in recognition as he approached. Bat was suddenly reminded of the sound of her teasing laugh and the comforting press of her barely covered body against his own from the other night. He willed his cheeks not to show the embarrassing hot flush that he was feeling in the rest of his body. This was neither the time nor the place to be thinking about how enticingly warm her bare skin had felt or how when he finally managed to get back to Russell’s, he couldn’t get to sleep without feeling like a pervert for thinking about her curvaceous hips shimmying into that skin-tight mini skirt she found in the lost property box. Bat reluctantly inhaled a big gulp of Simon’s stink and forcefully wrenched himself out of his thoughts. He smiled back at Maia and nodded at Simon, who turned around curiously to face him. His face split into a grin as he stood up from his stool and clapped him on the back with his hand. “Bat! Good to see you, man. How have you been?”     

“I’ve been as fine as I can be, considering everything lately.” Bat replied with a shrug, his voice strained with the effort of not vomiting. He hesitantly glanced at Maia who was watching him carefully with a slight frown. He hoped that she hadn’t noticed the oddness of his behaviour around her boyfriend. Bat turned back to Simon and offered him a small grin. “How have you been?”

“Not too bad, man, not too bad.” Simon laughed as he finally let go and turned to Maia. “I’ll just head off now and leave you to it. I’ll come by later to walk you home after your shift, Maia.”

“Okay, stay safe.” Maia smiled as she leaned across the bar and kissed Simon goodbye. Simon grinned, giving one last peck to Maia’s lips before he walked out of the bar. Bat let out a slow breath of relief as he was finally able to breathe freely again until he suddenly saw Maia narrow her eyes into a glare at him. “What was all that, Bat? Why were you holding your breath?”

Bat cringed. So, she did notice. _Crap,_ he thought guiltily as he held up his hands in defence. “I’m sorry, Maia. It’s not Simon, honestly. It’s just his undead body smell. It makes me want to puke.”     

Maia rolled her eyes as she picked up a knife and started to slice into a lime on her chopping board, each scraping bang of the metal loud enough to cause Bat to feel even more guilty. Bat opened his mouth to make another apology when Maia suddenly pointed the knife in her hand directly between his eyes. “Let me make one thing clear, Bat. If you have a problem with my boyfriend being a Vampire, then you can get out of this bar right now and consider my offer of teaching you how to control your wolf off the table. Do you understand?”

“Yeah, of course. Totally. But I have absolutely no problem with Simon, honestly.” Bat said as he warily stared at the point of her knife that was inches away from his skin.

“Good.” Maia nodded, letting her hand drop as she resumed slicing into her limes. Bat let out another sigh of relief as he shakily dropped onto the stool that Simon had recently vacated. Maia’s lips had formed a small pout as she looked back up at him. “You know, he doesn’t actually smell _that_ bad.”

“You’ve known Simon for a while though. I’ve only known him a couple of days and I’m still getting used to his scent being around.”

“Hmm, you and everyone else in the pack it seems.” Maia said shrewdly. “It’s not anyone’s business but my own anyway.”

“I never said it was.”

“Okay, but just so you know.”

“I know.”

“Good.”

They both fell silent as Maia continued with her task, moving onto slicing lemons and filling the air with the citrus sting of bittersweet fruit. Bat felt a little awkward as he watched her hands chop, idly wondering how soft her dark hands must be but at the same time holding a very sharp knife that she had just threatened him with. It had left him feeling a little conflicted. Maia had proven time and time again that she was dangerous and had a temper that he most certainly didn’t want to cross, but oddly he still wanted to get to know her. There was just this calming presence about her that she seemed to exude from every pore of her skin that Bat was inexplicably drawn to.  

“So, I think the first couple of things we need to work on is your aggression and developing your sense of smell to recognise who’s from the pack and who isn’t. You with me so far?” Maia said with a quirk of an eyebrow. Bat nodded. “Good. I’ve asked a few members of the pack to come around on their way home from work to help out but in the meantime, you can start your shift here.”

Bat nodded again with a smile before he actually focused on what she said. “Wait, hold up. Shift?”

“Yeah, didn’t I tell you? I managed to get you a trial here as an extra dogsbody. That’s why I told you not to be late.” Maia said as she slid the last of her chopped lemon segments into a stainless-steel bowl beside her and proceeded to put her equipment in the sink. “You won’t be serving any alcohol yet until you’re properly trained and you’ll have to double as a bouncer if we have too many punters in. Also, the pay is just basic minimum wage until you finish training. Is that okay?”  

“Uh, yeah. That’s fantastic actually. Thanks Maia, I owe you one.” Bat grinned as he stood up from his stool and clapped his hands together. “What do you want me to do first?”

“You can start by wiping down the counters before the next load of regulars come in for their after-work beers and then you can start on tidying up the stage for the band that’s playing tonight. The last one spilled their beers all over the floor so now some of the equipment is sticky.” Maia replied with a scrunch of her nose. “I’ve got to serve some drinks to the guys over in one of the booths over there but shout if you need me. There’s a mop and bucket in the basement.” 

Bat smiled as they got to work; Maia serving drinks to intoxicated punters and Bat mopping up their spillages before kicking them out of the bar. Bat felt good to be working again. It had been too long since he’d put his hands to use and to feel a steadily growing ache in his limbs from overexertion. It didn’t matter that on any other day, the menial tasks he was given would have bored him to tears. But as he finished mopping the floors, he let out a satisfied sigh at his work and enthusiastically moved on to wiping down tables and counters.

Maia found herself increasingly distracted by Bat as they worked. She had never seen anyone put so much effort into such a simple task. It almost made her feel sorry for him, that he would take so much pleasure in completing each job she gave him. Not for the first time, Maia wondered how long it had been since Bat had last worked.

It wasn’t long before the entrance opened and let in a small group of three grumbling men, tired and aching from their long days at work, all smelling distinctly of wolf. They trudged over to the bar where Maia had lined up a row of shot glasses and was efficiently filling them up with the strongest vodka the bar owned.

“There you go, boys. These are on the house. Thanks for helping me out with this. I really appreciate it.” Maia said gratefully as she poured one out for herself and an extra glass for Bat. “Hey, Bat! Come on over here, you can finish up later.”

Bat nodded and gathered up the remaining glasses on his table before making his way over to the bar. Maia held open a small door, gesturing at him with a tip of her head to join her behind the bar. Maia closed the door behind him and waved a hand at her recent guests. “Bat, these are the guys; Nick, Toby and Jimmy. They’re here to help with your training.” 

Bat turned his attention to them and gave them a tight smile. Bat thought that they seemed normal enough. Jimmy was the youngest of the trio, looking to be a few years older than Bat and Maia, with black hair, dark skin and a round boyish face despite the furry wisps of a beard trying to grow on his lower jaw. Nick and Toby looked like they could be twins, they were so similar in features. They both had dark brown hair, tanned olive skin and were both on the stocky side. But that was where the similarities ended. Where Toby was dressed like a museum curator, Nick wore overalls that was dusted with dry cement and paint and had an edgy biker vibe around him.

“Hey.” Bat offered as a greeting, not entirely sure if he was comfortable speaking to these people when he had only just met them.

“Nice to meet you, newbie. Welcome to the shitshow that is your new life as a werewolf.” Jimmy grinned back at Bat before tipping back his shot like it was water. Bat caught Maia rolling her eyes though she didn’t move to contradict his remark. Jimmy tapped the bar and slammed the glass on the counter, the crack of glass against wood sounding clear in the lively din of the bar.

“God, same again please Maia. Work has been hell.” Jimmy asked, he slipping some dollar bills over to Maia as she poured him another drink.

“Can you pour me a pint please whenever you’re ready, Pet?” Toby asked with a polite smile as he fished in his jacket for his wallet. His voice had a clipped British accent that seemed to have developed a slight American twang to it. Bat wondered how long he had been in the States before he was bitten, or whether he was bitten _before_ he came to America.

“No problem. How is everything at work?” Maia smiled as she slid Jimmy’s refilled shot glass over to him before she was suddenly pulling on one of the taps, a frothy amber liquid rapidly filling up the glass in her hand. Bat was amazed at how quickly she worked. He had barely blinked when Maia was already serving Toby his drink and taking his money over to the cash register on the far end of the bar.

Toby groaned as he took a long deep draft of his beer before he placed it back on the bar in front of him, a third of its contents completely gone. “Where do I start, dear? I’m still getting nowhere in my research thanks to the bloody Clave banning the evidence I need for my book.”

“Toby’s been researching into Lycanthrope activity in the Dark Ages.” Maia clarified as she looked over her shoulder at Bat. He thought his face must have been frowning in confusion. “He believes that if he can find out more about the disease, there may be some way to cure it.”

“A fool’s errand if you ask me.” Nick grunted from where he sat, nursing the half-finished beer in his hands.

“Well, nobody asked you, Nick.” Toby replied scathingly, his grip tightening on his glass until his fingertips were pale white.

“Guys, don’t even think about it.” Maia growled in warning, sending them a stern look from where she stood by the cash register. “I’m not having a repeat of last time. If either of you break anything, you’re paying for it.”

Both Nick and Toby grumbled an apology, looking at Maia sheepishly. Bat fought the urge to gape in amazement as he watched the exchange. He suspected that Maia had some sort of authority about her, but he never expected full grown men to bend to her will on the mere power of a glare. Bat had never seen anything like it. Not even in his mundane life.

“You think you’re having a bad day, Tobes? Just wait ‘til you hear mine.” Jimmy grinned as he tapped the bar again and slid another dollar over to Maia.

“Please don’t call me Tobes.”

“Anyway, at least you don’t have to work a shift down in the sewers tomorrow. My boss told me that there’s a crack in one of the tunnel ceilings that’s near a water pipe which needs to be sealed up. So, guess who’s the poor shmuck that has to do it?” Jimmy scoffed, pointing to himself. “I’d give my left arm to work in a museum and not have to come home smelling like some demon’s rotting corpse tomorrow. Or better yet, I’d give _both_ of my arms and one of my kidneys to just pack up my life and move to the Caribbean.”

“Come on, Jimmy, like that’ll ever happen. You’d miss us too much.” Maia laughed, rolling her eyes.

“They have better rum there. At least you can get drunk on that stuff. And I mean _proper drunk_. None of this werewolf metabolism crap will come into it, I tell you. I could drink a barrel of Caribbean rum and wake up on a beach somewhere with a hangover that lasts a week.” Jimmy replied with a wistful grin.

“Or you’d end up dead.” Nick said with a deadpan look.

Jimmy was silent for a moment before he shrugged his shoulders. “Worth it.”      

Bat stared at them all awkwardly, unsure of what to say. There was a strong sense of camaraderie between them all, like they were a tight knit family and he was just an outsider looking in through a window. Bat had been an only child when he was a mundane and had been a bit of a loner at times, which made him wonder whether that was the reason Russell targeted him in the first place. No one would miss him if he suddenly disappeared one day. The thought made him sad.

As if sensing Bat’s plummeting mood, Maia turned to the trio at the bar and waved at him to come closer. He took a cautious step forward, his belly tying in nervous knots as he waited in anticipation to find out what Maia had planned for today. “So, getting back on track. Did you guys get my texts earlier about bringing personal items for Bat to smell?”

“Yeah, about that. Just how personal are these items supposed to be, Maia?” Jimmy laughed with a mischievous twinkle in his eye as they all began rummaging in their pockets. Maia raised one of her eyebrows at him in reply, even though Bat could see the tight way she was pursing her lips closed, as if she was struggling not to laugh. Jimmy grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “Relax. I brought one of my scarves.”

“Why do I have to smell their belongings?” Bat asked Maia quietly as she arranged the items in a line along the bar, each item sat in front of each patron, and added one of her own. Bat tried to see what it was before Maia blocked his view.

“It helps with honing your senses. If you have an object that smells of a particular person then it’s easier to track them later.” Maia said matter-of-factly.  

“We can all smell you from at least two miles away, though we’ve had plenty of practice over the years.” Toby said with a gentle smile as he took a sip of his beer. “You’ll get there too, don’t you worry.”

Maia picked up one of the objects from the bar and let it drop into Bat’s hand. Bat peered at it curiously. It was a gold-plated cross hanging on a thin string of cotton that looked well-worn. “This necklace is Nick’s. Have a good sniff and then try to associate it with Nick. When you’re done, we’ll move on to the next item. There’s no rush. Just take your time.” Maia said with a smile, just as another one of her usual customers called over to her for a drink. She let out a sigh. “I’ll be back in a second. Alright there, sir? What would you like?”

Maia soon disappeared from their little group, leaving Bat to shift his feet awkwardly. They looked at him expectantly, waiting for him to say or do something. It was even worse when Jimmy tried to catch his eye with a grin.

“So, “Bat” is it?” Jimmy snickered. “What kind of nickname is that anyway? What’s it short for?”

“It’s short for Bartholomew. It was my grandpa’s name.” Bat mumbled quietly.

A frown appeared on Jimmy’s brow. “No, it’s not. “Bart” is short for Bartholomew. Like Bart Simpson. Why call yourself “Bat”?” 

“Why are you called “Jimmy” when your name is James?” Toby said before he took another sip of beer. Nick let out a quiet grunt in agreement.

“It’s a legitimate question.” Jimmy said innocently. He turned his gaze back to Bat with a raised eyebrow. “Can you not pronounce your Rs? Do you have a younger sibling who couldn’t pronounce your name and called you Bat, so you stuck with it?”

Bat shrugged his shoulders. “No, everyone just calls me Bat.”  

That answer didn’t seem to satisfy Jimmy’s curiosity. The frown on his face only seemed to deepen as he huffed in thought. “But _why_ though? Do you like bats? Are you obsessed with them or something? No, wait. I got it! You’re Batman, aren’t you?”

Bat felt himself beginning to laugh as he shook his head. It had been too long since he had laughed, even longer since he was around other funny people. Back before he was scratched he’d barely had enough time to put aside from finding work to enjoy himself. Nearly all of his friends from school had gone off to college or moved away to find jobs whilst Bat was stuck in New York trying to make the best of things. And then he got turned into a werewolf and his mood simply plummeted from being fine to nearly having a nervous breakdown once or twice a week. But despite this new development, Bat was under no illusions that this would mean things would get better for him. The jury was still out on that one. But in the meantime, Bat supposed that his situation could be worse. So, he did what he does best. He made the most of it.

He took a tentative sniff of Nick’s necklace, memorising the smoky, bitter smell of cigarettes and the sharp tang of sweat. After a moment he tried to find the scent in the air around them and smiled to himself in satisfaction when he found it. He moved on to the next object on the bar, Toby’s well-worn notebook, and so on until he had every scent memorised. When he reached Maia’s possession on the bar, Bat stilled and stared at it curiously. It was an old dog-eared photograph of a very young Maia with what looked like her family.

“Oh, you’d better be careful with that.” Toby said seriously, draining the last of his beer as Bat picked up to peer closely at it. “It’s the only photo she has left of her parents. It’s special to her. She barely talks about them, not even to Luke.”

Bat hesitated as he quietly looked at the Maia in the picture. She looked almost exactly like she did now, only with her hair tied into tight cornrow braids and lacking the jagged werewolf scratch on the side of her neck that she wears now. She had a huge toothy smile on her face from where she was stood off the side of the picture. There was one other figure in the photo, a young black man who looked only a few years older than Maia, who was seated laughing and grinning between her two parents. Bat wondered who he was. Perhaps her brother? Or a cousin? He also thought it a bit odd that Maia seemed so separate from the rest of them in the photo.

Bat looked up at the trio to find them looking at him solemnly. “If Maia doesn’t talk about her family much then why does she keep the photo around with her? Why bring it with her here?”

Toby shrugged his shoulders, Jimmy copying him from his seat beside him. Nick suddenly cleared his throat and fixed his gaze on him. He spoke with a deep gruff voice, so deep in fact it sounded like a perpetual growl though his tone seemed non-threatening. “Maia is a complicated young woman but she’s as strong and ballsy as they come. Don’t think too much on it. She has her reasons, I’m sure.”

Bat nodded and looked over to Maia at the other end of the bar. She was still busy serving drinks to her customers and hadn’t seemed to have noticed them, though he was sure she had heard everything they had said. Bat could tell by the way she was pointedly focussing on each of her tasks instead of looking at them. Bat made a silent decision in his head and returned the photograph to its original place on the counter, face-down. He looked up at the trio to find them nodding their heads at him in approval. Jimmy shifted in his seat, his back straightening up until he was at his full height and grinned at Bat. “So, Bat. Are you a football or a baseball kind a man?”

Before Bat had a chance to answer his question, he suddenly felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up as he caught the scent of a wolf he wished he could forget. He felt his body tense as the entrance door opened out on to the street outside as Russell stepped in, his eyes sweeping the bar casually until they settled on him.

Russell moved towards him through the crowd and stopped next to Jimmy. Bat felt his heartbeat quicken in his chest as his hands grew clammy with sweat. He found his eyes pointedly looking down at his feet as he took a step back. Russell’s scent filled his head, an earthy smell that reminded Bat of the caged lions at Central Park Zoo, and he felt like he was back in that cold dirty alleyway again, weeping and yelling and trying not to shit himself with fear. Bat forced himself to glance up at his attacker and felt his chest constrict. He returned his gaze back to his feet. Bat couldn’t bear to look at him. He just couldn’t do it. Somehow, it made him hate Russell more.

“What do you want Russell?” Maia asked, causing Bat to give a small sigh of relief. He hadn’t even heard her step in between him and Russell but he had never been more grateful of her than now. He looked up at Maia as she put a hand on her hip and fixed Russell with a steady gaze. “Have you finally come to give me that apology you owe me?”

Russell tightened his jaw and cleared his throat. “I’m not apologising to your _boyfriend_ ,” He said the word through gritted teeth as he held her gaze. “And I came here to talk to Bat.”

“He’s working. You’ll have to talk to him later.”

“It can’t wait. I’ll only be a minute.”

“And _I_ said he’s busy. So, unless you have to give him orders from Luke, it can wait until after his shift.” Maia replied, squaring up to him. If Bat didn’t already know better he might have thought that someone of Maia’s lean stature, so unevenly matched against Russell’s hulking giant figure, wouldn’t stand a snowball’s chance in hell.

A deep rumbling growl came from Russell as he pointedly fixed his gaze on Maia. The air seemed to thicken with tension, like at any moment one wrong move could result in a bloodbath. “Back off, Maia. This doesn’t concern you.” Russell said through gritted teeth.

“Easy, Russ. There are mundanes in here.” Nick said in a low placating tone. “Don’t be a reason for the Shadowhunters to come down here.”

“I’ll calm down once Maia stays out of my business.”

“Oh, bite me.” Maia snarled, her fingernails beginning to sharpen into claws at her hips. “Bat is my friend and he’s my employee now. So why don’t _you_ back off Russell. Unless you want to take this out back.”

“Enough, you two.” Bat snapped, feeling as if his heart was about to burst out of his chest. Several pairs of eyes turned to stare at him in surprise but Bat couldn’t see them. The room was spinning too fast around him and his chest was stuttering painfully as he tried to get air into his panicking lungs.

“Um, guys? Bat doesn’t look so good.” Jimmy said concernedly, glancing worriedly over at the mundanes in the bar who had started to look at them curiously. “I think we’d better get him out of here.”     

Maia turned to face Bat in concern, resting her hands comfortingly on his shoulders. She tried not to let her nose scrunch up at the damp feeling of sweat underneath her palms. “Hey, Bat. Listen to me, deep breaths okay? Everything is going to be fine, _you’re_ going to be fine.”

“I-I can’t. I’m sorry Maia, I-I’m so s-sorry.” Bat panted, feeling his skin beginning to tighten as his fingernails sharpened into claws. _Not again, please god, not again,_ Bat thought desperately as he felt his bones begin to shift inside his chest. Bat suddenly felt two cool hands lift up his head and he found himself staring at Maia’s face.

“Look at me, Bat. Don’t look at anything else, just look at me.” She said, inhaling and exhaling slow deep breaths for him to mimic. He did as he was told and stared at Maia’s calming smile, focusing on the small dimples on her cheeks that he hadn’t really noticed before. She had such a pretty smile. “That’s it, Bat. Nice and slow. You’re going to be okay.”

His wolf seemed to think otherwise as it caught the scent of Russell in the room and raged against it. His head seemed to explode in a cacophony of noise, hearing a mixture of his bones snapping and crunching as they shifted painfully underneath his skin. His pleading whimpers for it all to stop heightened in volume until they became long mournful howls. He even heard the sound of screeching traffic from over a mile and a half away. Bat felt so overwhelmed.

But throughout all of this barrage of loudness, Bat could still hear the strong steady rhythm of Maia’s heartbeat pulsing in his head and through his soul. He tried to focus on that, listening to her commanding voice as she spoke with complete authority. “I’ll get him out back and calm him down. You guys deal with the mundanes. Keep them calm and whatever you do, do _not_ let them call the cops. Do you understand?”

“We’re on it.” Jimmy said as he, Nick and Toby hastily pushed back their chairs and disappeared. Bat couldn’t see what happened but he could hear the loud sounds of scraping chairs and slurred yells as the mundanes in the bar were forced to abandon their drinks and leave.

Bat suddenly felt his legs crumple beneath him as his body began to change, his entire body weight slumping heavily against Maia’s chest. Maia let out a winded huff as she struggled to keep him upright, her arms wrapping tightly around his chest and heaving his weight to her side.

“Come on Bat, this way.” Maia said calmly, dragging one of his arms across her shoulders. Bat let her lead him through the back door into the alleyway behind the Hunter’s Moon. He felt like his head was stuck inside a whirlpool and he could faintly hear himself deliriously apologising as he stumbled along beside her. He could barely even register the cool early evening breeze on his face as Maia carefully lowered him to the ground to rest against the stone wall of the building.   

“I’m sorry Maia. I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t control it.” Bat panted. Every breath of air he took into his lungs felt like a kick to his chest, his body trembling with pent up rage.

“It’s not your fault, Bat. You were having a panic attack. It happens.” Maia sighed as she crouched in front of him. “Russell must have triggered it when he came in.”

“I’ve never had a panic attack before. Is that common with werewolves?”

“Sometimes. Turning can be pretty traumatic. Especially after being scratched or bitten for the first time too. It’s going to take a while to pass.” Maia said, with a tentative smile. “I sometimes still get them. You’re not alone.”

Bat pressed the heels of his palms against his eyes and groaned in frustration. “Great. This is just what I need now. Not only am I a newly turned werewolf, but I’m apparently one suffering with PTSD.”

“Hey, give yourself some credit Bat. At least you’re not naked this time.” Maia replied, shrugging her shoulders.

Bat gave her a deadpan look. He could see the infectious amusement in her eyes as her mouth slowly grew into a teasing grin. Bat felt his mouth twitch into a grin and before he knew it, they were both giggling in raucous fits of laughter. His previous panic attack seemed miles away from him in this moment and for that, he was happily in Maia’s debt.

“Thank you for helping me back there.” He told her quietly once they had calmed enough to speak soberly. “If you hadn’t helped me, that situation could have gotten a lot worse. Thank you.”

“It’s okay. You would have done the same for me.” Maia replied sincerely.

Bat looked at her curiously. “How can you trust me so quickly? Surely, it can’t be because of the whole pack thing.”

Maia shrugged her shoulders. “I just do. I’ve got a good feeling about you, that’s all.”

Bat’s thoughts wandered back to the photograph of Maia’s family that was still lying face down on the counter in the bar and wondered whether he was being tested after all. He wondered if he passed.

Maia suddenly got to her feet and held out her hand for him to take. “Come on, up you get. Got to get back to work.”

“Right, of course.” Bat muttered as he took her hand and shifted to his feet. He had completely forgotten that he was meant to be working a shift in the bar.

The sound of a creaking door opening alerted them both to the presence of Russell, standing quietly in the doorway to the bar. He had a sad look on his face as he observed them both before he took a step towards them, letting the door shut behind him.

Maia let out an annoyed growl as he cautiously approached. “What do you want now? Can’t you see that you’ve done enough?”

Russell held his hands up in a placating gesture. “Easy, Maia. I just want to talk to Bat. I promise I’m not here to cause a fight. Please. I’ll only be a couple of minutes.”

Bat wished that Russell would just leave him alone. He didn’t want to talk to him. He didn’t want to even look at him anymore than he had to. If it wasn’t for the fact that Russell and he were in the same pack, Bat was sure that he would be phenomenally happier if he never saw Russell’s face ever again. But no matter how much he wished that he could turn his back on him forever, it wasn’t good for the pack.

Bat gently touched his fingers to the inside of Maia’s wrist, offering her a brave look as she turned to him in concern. “I’ll hear him out.” 

“Are you sure? You don’t have to, you know.” Maia replied in a hushed voice, her dark eyes imploring him to be sure of his decision.

Bat nodded. Reluctantly, Maia bowed her head to him in a gesture of good faith before she stepped aside to let him past. Bat inhaled a deep breath to steady his erratic nerves as he faced Russell. “Okay, you’ve got my attention. Now, what do you want?”

Russell put his hands in his pockets and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. “Look, man, I don’t want to come across like some jerk, but I think it would be best for you to move out of my apartment.”

“What, you’re kicking me out?” Bat said disbelievingly.

“I know you hate my guts, Bat, and with what just happened now it’s pretty clear that my presence around you isn’t going to help you get comfortable in the pack.” Russell sighed, looking at Bat with sad eyes full of regret. “I’ve spoken to Luke and he agrees that getting some space between us will do you good.”

“But still, you’re kicking me out? Where will I go? I can’t exactly go back to my family.” Bat said, feeling a pang of worry in his chest.

“You can crash at the Jade Wolf or maybe Luke’s old place. That’s where most new recruits stay anyway if they can’t go back home.” Russell said. “It’s for the best Bat, you’ll see. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not an asshole. Everything I do is for the good of the pack and I won’t apologise for making that my top priority.”

“You’ve got a funny way of showing it.” Bat replied with a huff.

Russell nodded. “Maybe. But this pack is the only family I have, and I don’t want to risk losing it again, so I’m sorry. About everything; scratching you, ruining your life, everything.”

“I’m not thanking you.”

“I’m not expecting you to. I’ll be out of the apartment all day tomorrow if you want to go collect your things. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

Russell gave him one last uncomfortable nod of his head before he turned and walked out of the alleyway, leaving Bat all alone to reflect on his words. Bat tried not to think of how he was now virtually homeless, struggling with his wolf and trying to gain back some normality in his life. It felt like he was being hit again and again and again with more rotten luck.

Without knowing what else to do, Bat walked back into the Hunter’s Moon and searched the now quiet bar for Maia. He soon found her standing with Nick, Toby and Jimmy at the bar, each one of them glancing warily at him as he walked up to them.

“I’m guessing you heard all that.” Bat sighed quietly as he sat down on one of the stools.

“Yeah, sorry mate. Wolf hearing, you know.” Toby grimaced. Jimmy reached out and clasped Bat’s shoulder in a gesture of solidarity.

“It sucks, man. But we’ll help you out, don’t you worry.” Jimmy said with an encouraging smile. 

Nick and Toby grunted in agreement as Maia slid a pint glass of beer over to Bat with a smile. Bat accepted it with a grateful smile, taking a sip of the cool beverage. “I can come with you tomorrow to help you move out if you want. It’s up to you.” Maia said.

“Thanks. I’d appreciate it.” Bat smiled and looked up at everyone. “Really, thanks. You didn’t have to do all this.”

“Course we did. You’re one of us now. We look after our own.” Nick grunted before draining the last of his drink. “Besides, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you if you want to control your wolf, so you’re going to need all the help you can get.”

“Oh yeah, and you’ve still got to do the chicken test, which is always hilarious to watch the first time so I’m not missing that.” Jimmy grinned widely, letting out a bark of laughter at Bat’s look of confusion on his face.

“What’s he talking about?” Bat asked, glancing cautiously over at Maia who smilingly shook her head.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll explain it another time.” Maia looked at her watch and sighed, turning to the others. “Anyway, we’ve got to open again in less than two hours and everything has got to be spotless so unless you’re thinking of helping out guys, you’d best be going.”

“We’ll see you later Maia. Thanks for the drinks.” Toby said as the others stood up from their stools and gathered their things together. Bat nodded at each of them as they left, earning a pat on his shoulder along the way before he was soon left alone with Maia.

Bat finished his drink and slid his empty glass over to Maia to take as he stood up from his stool and retrieved the mop he was using earlier. “Back to work then.”

Maia nodded with a smile as she finished polishing a glass in her hands. “So, what do you think of the guys?”

“Yeah, I think I can get used to them.” Bat felt himself grin as he spoke. “It may take some time though.”

“Jimmy will grow on you, I promise.” Maia chuckled fondly. There was a certain ease in the way she spoke of her friends which Bat found comforting. Bat watched Maia as she went about her business, feeling a warm sense of familiarity beginning to form in his chest. Perhaps there was some hope of normality in his life after all.


End file.
